1 Corinthians 12:1

Now to that other part of your letter, concerning those that are moved and acted by the Spirit, whether good or ill, (see ch. xiv. 37, and note [d] Luke ix.) and foretell, &c. by that means, I desire to admonish and direct you, brethren, and to give you some characters to discriminate one from the other when they come into your assemblies, as sometimes some with evil spirits did, (Euseb. Hist. lib. iv. 16,) and as Simon the magician is said to have contended with St. Peter.

[a] spiritual gifts] That πνευματικῶν may here be used in the masculine, not neuter gender, is most evident; and if it be so, then it must signify spiritual persons, not things. So the word is certainly used, ch. xiv. 37, If any seem to be a prophet or spiritual, such as have any divine affiliation. Thus in Ῥalladius, Lausiac. Hist. c. 43, Ἔγνων ἀκριβῶς πνευματικὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι, καὶ προγινώσκειν πάντα, “I knew exactly that he was a spiritual person, and foreknew all things.”

1 Corinthians 12:2

When ye were heathens, ye know the oracles pretended to foretell things to come, and by your desire to know such things ye were seduced to idols; which were so far from being able to presage, that they were not able to speak, and the answers that were given you there were neither given you by the idols nor their priests, but by the devil in them.

1 Corinthians 12:3

The way therefore to discriminate them is this, that no man who pretends spiritual gifts in the church, who is led or speaks by the Spirit of God, will ever speak evil of Jesus; and no such man again hath any of those extraordinary powers of miracles, &c. and doth them in the name of Christ, but he is acted by the Holy Spirit, the doctrine and commands

1 Corinthians 12:13

For in baptism being made partakers of the same Spirit, we are entered into one body to be fellow-members with all Christians, of what quality or sort soever we are: and the cup of charity or thanksgiving, appointed by Christ in his last supper to be used in his church, is a token and band of the same unity among Christians, and signifies the animating of all by the same Spirit. 14—17. For as the body is made up of several members for several uses, so is the church of Christ, each of them profitable for some end; and therefore though one be inferior to some others, yet hath that no reason to envy them.

1 Corinthians 12:18

It hath therefore seemed best to God to give several men several offices in the church, which they are to be content with, not repining that they are not more honourably employed.

1 Corinthians 12:19

For if every member were equal to all others, there could not be a subordination, and an assignation to several offices, as in a body there must be.

1 Corinthians 12:20

And therefore God hath so ordered it, that each should have his peculiar office, and all together be united into one body, 21, 22. Every one having need and use of every other; and generally, those which we more despise and are ashamed of, being most necessary.

1 Corinthians 12:25

That there may be no separation of interests or desires in the body; and so likewise in the church; but that the several members may be as solicitous every one for another member as for itself.

1 Corinthians 12:26

From whence it follows, that as in the body every member hath a fellow-feeling with each other, so all true members of the church have the same common interests and concernments, whether of suffering or of rejoicing.

1 Corinthians 12:27

And this must be by you applied to yourselves, who are, being considered altogether, the church, though not the church universal, yet a special part thereof, the church of Corinth, (see Chrysostom,) and so the mystical body of Christ, and the several persons of you, members of that body, that particular church.

1 Corinthians 12:28

And the chief officers constituted by God in the church, are, 1. apostles, sent to plant the faith, and having done so, either to govern being present, or superintend being absent, in all churches; 2. prophets, who having many spiritual gifts, teach where the apostles have planted, and confirm believers, and impose hands (see note [e] Acts xv.); 3. doctors or teachers of churches already constituted, and so all

[b] apostles] The word ἀπόστολοι, apostles, is known to signify here, not messengers of a common nature, but commissioners from Christ, sent with the same power which he had from his Father, John xx. 21, to plant and govern the church, and to that end to part the world between them into so many μερίδες and κλῆροι and ἴδιοι τόποι, portions and lots and proper places and provinces, Acts i. 25, over which they were set. And so, though when Christ was here on earth these were disciples and followers of his, yet after his departure, and the descent of the Holy Ghost, they are instated in the supreme authority in the church. See note [b] on John xx.

[c] prophets] Next after the apostles are prophets placed in the church, both here and Ephes. iii. 5 and iv. 11. Their office was to preach more fully the gospel of Christ to those who had formerly received it, and to that end they were inspired by God with that special gift of interpreting the prophecies, &c. of the Old Testament, thereby to confirm the Jews in the faith; and beside many other spiritual gifts, they had that of foretelling things to come, as appears by Agabus, and those that went down from Jerusalem to Antioch, Acts xi. 27. These differed from apostles on one side, were inferior to them, οὐκ εἶχον τὴν

[d] teachers] Διδάσκαλοι, doctors, are here set down in the third place, differing, as hath been said, from prophets only in this, that they spake οἶκοθεν, from themselves, and had not the gift of foretelling things to come. But for the office of teaching and confirming those which had already received the gospel, and for the governing of the churches as bishops, in that they agreed with them; and accordingly, Acts xiii. 1, the same persons are there called prophets and teachers. And therefore it is to be observed, that Ephes. iv. 11, teachers are set as all one with ποιμένες, pastors, (the bishops’ title, saith Chrysostom, and so say the Scholiasts, τοὺς τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐγκεχειρισμένους, &c. “those that govern the churches,” the bishops, “he calls pastors,” such was Timothy, Titus, and the like.) So in Bede Eccl. Hist. l. 2. c. 2, episcopos sive doctores, “bishops or doctors.” So 1 St. Chrysostom, Epist. β’, speaking of the incestuous Corinthian, Πολλοὶ φασιν ὅτι καὶ διδασκάλου τάξιν ἐπείχε, “Many say he had the place of a doctor,” straight adds, τὰ πρωτεῖα ἔχειν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, “he had the presidency of the church:” τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους, “some pastors and teachers,” not distinguishing them as apostles and prophets and evangelists, with a τοὺς δὲ, some, to each, but only connecting them with the καὶ, ἐξηγητικόν, the particle and, by way of explication, and so noting them to be two names for one thing, and accordingly ποιμένες, pastors, is not mentioned here. The particular notation of the word διδάσκαλοι must be first taken from the difference observable betwixt κηρύσσειν and εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, preaching, on one side, and διδάσκειν, teaching, on the other, so as the word and doctrine differ, 1 Tim. v. 17; the first belonging to the planting, the second to the watering, that is, instruction and exhortation and confirmation superadded to the preaching or planting the faith anywhere. This office of instructing and confirming certainly belonged primarily to the bishop in every church, Acts xiii. 1, and was not compatible to any but him, or whom the bishop appointed to it, (as the apostles sent the evangelists to preach for them, where they could not come themselves,) by neglect of which wholesome practice all heresies and seeds of new doctrines have gotten into the church. Thus in Justin Martyr, Apol. 2, when the anagnostes or reader hath read the portion of scripture out of

• On Ephes. iv. 11. • Tom. 7. p. 57. l. 4.

[e] miracles] Having set down the three prime sorts of dignities in the church, apostles, prophets, teachers, with the distinctive terms of πρῶτον, δεύτερον, τρίτον, first, secondly, thirdly, the apostle adds now in another style, ἔπειτα δυνάμεις, εἶτα χαρίσματα ἱαμάτων, after powers, then gifts of healings. Of which two it must first be observed, that they do not denote several persons distinct from the former, (for it is evident the apostles had both the powers and the gifts,) but only several χαρίσματα, or extraordinary gifts, with which the apostles and prophets and teachers were all endowed. And consequently these cannot be imagined to constitute new orders in the church, nor those that follow in this place, helps, &c. Secondly, for the meaning of δυνάμεις, powers, it is most probable that by it is denoted the same thing that by the ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, ver. 10, operations of powers, (which are there also joined with gifts of healing,) and those may denote those operations or exercises of powers which we find exemplified in St. Peter on Ananias and Sapphira, in Paul on Barjesus, (either inflicting immediate death, or diseases upon them, or pronouncing that they should come, and accordingly it followed,) and in those first times, in the governors of the church, by their censures delivering men up to Satan, εἰς ὀλεθρον σαρκὸς, to the destruction of the flesh, to inflict diseases on them. And this may very probably be the meaning of δυνάμεις, powers, here also; and so it is acknowledged by Theophylact. And these seem to be the τέρατα, prodigies, wrought by the apostles, Acts ii. 43, upon which it is said that fear was on every soul, in like manner as it was said upon the death of Ananias, ch. v. 10, in respect of these powers of the apostles.

[f] helps] That ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι signifies to succour or relieve any in distress, hath been said, note [b] on Luke x; and there is no doubt but ἀντιλήψεις here is to be taken in that sense, relieving and providing for the poor out of the stock of the church; and this here set down as a special part (as the κυβερνήσεις is another) of the office of those men which were set down in the beginning of the verse, the powers and the gifts of healing, referring to the virtues and assistances by which they were backed in the discharge of their office; and so, in an inferior degree, the γίνη γλωσσῶν, sorts of tongues, in the close of the verse, skill in some languages, which was useful to their preaching to the nations; but these two, helps and governments, denoting two special parts of their office, under which all was indeed contained, which had not been before intimated in their names. For as to the former of these, the relieving of the poor, that always belonged to the apostles and bishops; and though the deacons were employed in one inferior part of it, the serving tables, Acts vi, the distributing of the several portions daily to the poor widows, &c., as διάκονοι under the οἰκονόμος,

[g] governments] The word κυβερνήσεις is all one with the Latin gubernationes, and so denotes the power and office of ruling and governing particular churches already planted by the apostles, and by them committed to the care of the bishops, set down here under the style of διδάσκαλοι, teachers, who, as they further instructed the congregations which had received the faith, so did they rule and order and administer them, (κυβερνᾶ, διοικεῖ, saith Hesychius.) Hence I suppose it is, that as ποιμήν, pastor, and ποιμαίνειν, to discharge the office of a pastor, denotes this power of ruling, and is the description of an ἡγούμενος, a ruler, Matt. xxvi, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν, who shall rule the people, and is applied first to Christ, Matt. xxvi. 31. John x. 11, 14. Heb. xiii. 20. 1 Pet. v. 4. (and joined with bishop, 1 Pet. ii. 25.) then to St. Peter, John xxi. 16, then to the bishops of Asia, Acts xx. 28, then to the bishops of the Jews in their several dispersions, 1 Pet. v. 1; so it is joined with διδάσκαλος, teacher, Ephes. iv. 11, and not as a several office

[h] diversities of tongues] What γλώσση here signifies will be best discerned by ᵘ Eustathius, who expresseth it by ἀποξενωμένην διάλεκτον, a strange language, and by ᵛ Clemens, who calls them ἀπεριλήπτους τὰς βαρβάρων φωνάς, “the voices of barbarians which have not been learned.” And though this equally belongs to all strange languages, yet it must be observed, that γίνη γλωσσών, kinds or sorts of tongues, in this place, and ver. 10, signifies with some restraint, not all the languages of the world, as was in the effusion of the Spirit on the apostles Acts ii, but some sorts of languages which they had never learned, in order to their preaching to those people which used those languages. For it must be observed, that though the power of miracles, indefinitely all miracles, even to the raising the dead, removing mountains, &c., were bestowed on the apostles by Christ, and so in like manner power of speaking all languages of the world; yet these in this full latitude were not thought fit to be bestowed on other persons after them, but with some limitations, to one this, to another that, which was useful toward the building up of the church, now that the foundation was already laid by Christ and the apostles. Hence is it that some are peculiarly endowed with gifts of healing, not having those other powers called δυνάμεις or ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων here and ver. 9, nor the πίστις, faith, ver. 9, that which extended to all miracles, even to removing of mountains, ch. xiii. 2. And so in like manner some had some certain languages (as a χάρισμα or gift) by inspiration, yet not all, because that was not in order to their business. And as the power of speaking with all tongues is called indefinitely λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις, Acts ii. 4, speaking with other tongues, and here, ch. xiii. 1, γλώσσαις ἀνθρώπων λαλεῖν καὶ ἀγγέλων, speaking with the tongues of men and of angels, that is, all kind of languages imaginable, (proportionable to the πᾶσα πίστις, all faith, ver. 2.) so this more limited gift is expressed by γίνη γλωσσών, sorts or kinds of languages, and γλώσση λαλεῖν, ch. xiv. 2, speaking with a tongue, that is, some one tongue or more; for of him it is said, ver. 13, Let him pray that he may interpret, which it seems he is not yet able to do, and so not to speak with all tongues. For if he could, then understanding himself well enough, (as he is supposed to do, ver. 4. 14.) it must needs follow, that he would also be able to interpret himself, and not need another qualified to that purpose, ver. 27. In like manner, as here, ver 30, tongues and interpreting belong not both to the same persons; nay, ch. xiv. 28, when two or three speak in unknown tongues, it is supposed possible that neither of them may be able to interpret or declare intelligibly to the people what hath been said, in which case the apostle bids them that speak strange languages hold their peace in the church, that is, in the presence of believers, for to

u Io Iliad. 1. x Strom. 1.

1 Corinthians 12:29

[g] discerning] The Hebrew קדש signifies two things, to sanctify and to discriminate, and is accordingly sometimes rendered by ἀγιάζειν, and once by διαστέλλειν, Jos. xx. 7. From hence it seems to be that διακρίνειν here, being the literal rendering of one notion of the Hebrew קדש, is taken for the other of hallowing or sanctifying the Lord’s body, that is, eating the Lord’s supper (in a different manner from that of eating our ordinary meal, or ἴδιον δείπνον, our own supper, viz.) as the institution of Christ, to represent his death for the world, and the diffusive mercy of that by our Christian liberality, and furnishing a common table, where the poor as well as rich may feast, and not the rich eat all to themselves; which is the profaning of that feast of the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:32

And when we are punished, it is for our good, that being reformed by stripes we may be freed from those punishments which fall on the unreformed to all eternity.

1 Corinthians 12:33

To conclude, then; when ye meet at one of these Christian festivals, have that care and charity to all others as well as yourselves, that all eat together by equality, as having a common right to a feast of charity, that so ye may celebrate it as ye ought to do.

1 Corinthians 12:34

And he that cannot do thus, let him stay at home, and eat there, for he may there dispose of himself as he please, which here he must not do: and his making no difference betwixt a meal at home and this Christian festival in the assembly is a great sin in him, and may expect punishment accordingly. For the other particulars mentioned by you, I will defer the ordering of them till I come myself unto you.

CHAP. XII.

NOW concerning 1[a] spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.